HAMBURG, July 7, 2017 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan attend a concert of the 12th Summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Spotlight: Xi’s week-long trip expands consensus on building better world

by Xinhua writer Liu Chang

Sunday, July 9th, 2017

HAMBURG, Germany, July 8 (Xinhua) — The logo of this year’s Group of 20 (G20) summit is a six-color reef knot, while last year in Hangzhou, China, it was an arch bridge. The different designs apparently convey the same message: interconnectedness.

The Hamburg summit took place as the global economy saw the best performance since the 2008 financial crisis, yet experts warn that the foundations for future growth remain weak.

The violent protests that rocked the streets of the German port city have also reflected that while globalization has helped generate unprecedented prosperity worldwide, a more inclusive global economic growth now seems to be a more pressing priority.

For the past week, whether at Moscow and Berlin for state visits, or in Hamburg for the G20 gathering, Chinese President Xi Jinping has demonstrated China’s readiness to join the rest of the world in building a better world for everyone.

FORGING STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS

In Moscow, Xi described China’s relationship with Russia now as “the best ever in history.” He also agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to continue deepening the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

The two presidents also decided to further align the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union, and build bilateral ties into a ballast stone for world peace and stability.

While visiting Germany, Xi told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the development of China-Germany ties over the decades is a “story of success” that has delivered real benefits to the two peoples.

Xi and Merkel agreed to step up bilateral cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative framework, and ensure a steady development of the comprehensive strategic partnership the two sides forged in 2014 when Xi visited the European country for the first time as China’s president.

To encourage more robust people-to-people exchanges between the Chinese and the Germans, the two leaders also inaugurated a newly furbished panda garden in the Berlin Zoo, and watched a soccer match between Chinese and German youth teams.

FOSTERING BROADER CONSENSUS

Despite his tight schedule, Xi, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, met the leaders of six other countries.

He made good use of his time to expound China’s positions on key and sensitive matters of common concern, promote cooperation and build broader consensuses on major regional and global affairs.

While meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, Xi said stronger bilateral ties are good for stability in a complex world.

He added that the two sides should respect each other and ensure a healthy development of what many describe as the most important bilateral relationship in the world.

Since Trump’s inauguration this January, the leaders of the world’s top two economies have maintained frequent exchanges. In April, they achieved fruitful results during their meeting at the Mar-a-Lago resort in the U.S. state of Florida.

In Hamburg, the two leaders discussed trade and military cooperation. According to Xi, China’s navy will join the U.S.-led Pacific Rim military exercises next year.

They also compared notes on global hot-spot issues such as the Korean Peninsula nuclear problem, and agreed to continue with their exchanges and coordination over the matter.

The Chinese leader also reaffirmed China’s opposition to the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.

In his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Xi urged Seoul to listen to China’s major concerns and clear the hurdles in bilateral ties, referring to the former South Korean government’s decision to let THAAD in.

He also said that he supports the new South Korean government’s efforts to restart dialogue and contacts with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

China is committed to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and settling the issue via dialogue and consultation, he added.

SHAPING A MORE INCLUSIVE WORLD ECONOMY

While speaking at this year’s G20 summit, the Chinese leader called on other member economies to further implement the agreements reached in Hangzhou last year.

He noted that further action is needed as “the global economy is still plagued by deep-seated problems and faces many uncertainties and destabilizing factors.”

To build a more open world economy and realize a more inclusive global economic growth, Xi offered a set of proposals.

He suggested that the group of major economies support the multilateral trading regime and stay committed to openness and mutual benefit so as to increase the size of the global economic “pie.”

Xi called on all sides to foster new sources of growth, adding that he believes promoting innovation and addressing the issue of development are part of the answers.

On boosting inclusiveness, the Chinese leader said the G20 members need to promote synergy between economic and social policies, address the mismatch between industrial upgrading and knowledge and skills, and ensure more equitable income distribution.

He urged the G20 members to step up efforts in supporting Africa’s development, and carry out the initiative agreed at the Hangzhou summit on backing the industrialization of Africa and the least developed countries.

The Chinese president also stressed the need to improve global economic governance. He urged the G20 members to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and forestall risks in financial markets.

“Those who work alone, add; those who work together, multiply,” he quoted a German proverb as saying.

“In this spirit, let us work together to promote interconnected growth for shared prosperity and build toward a global community with a shared future,” added the president.

Other Articles

Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the People's Republic of China. The Wall Street Journal news organization was not involved in the creation of this content. WSJ. Custom Studios is a unit of The Wall Street Journal Advertising Department and was not involved in the creation of this content either.